Pedro Pascal leads the Fantastic Four in the newest movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Photo: Marvel Studios.
Fantastic Four is often considered Marvel’s first-ever superhero team.
Popular throughout the 1960s, the team of Reid Richards (Mr Fantastic), Ben Grimm (The Thing) and Sue and Johnny Storm (The Invisible Woman and The Human Torch) won over fans with their diverse storylines and their tackling of political issues affecting families.
However, despite a rich rogues’ gallery, fantastic storylines (excuse the pun), and a brilliant central team that remains popular 65 years after first being published, the Fantastic Four’s cinematic outings have been a very mixed bag.
The first attempt at an FF film in the 1990s was so disastrous that it didn’t even make it to the big screen. The 2000s films were nostalgic, but not anything more. Meanwhile, the 2015 reboot is considered by many, including myself, to be one of the worst superhero movies ever made.
So, with Marvel taking over production from 20th Century Fox, have they finally succeeded in making a great film?
Yes, kinda.
Based in an alternate universe to the main Marvel Cinematic Universe, Fantastic Four: First Steps is a reboot for the title characters based in a futuristic 1960s setting.
Being the only heroes with powers following a space trip gone wrong, the team has become popular celebrities, with the most recent headlines being that Mr Fantastic and the Invisible Woman are expecting a baby, Franklin Richards.
This celebration of life turns to concern when the massive, god-like being Glactus tells the Earth he will destroy the planet if he is not given Franklin.
From there, the Fantastic Four balance the cost of all human life and the life of their newest member.
That is a bit more plot than I normally give up for these reviews, but readers must understand what they are getting into; it’s also not anything that hasn’t been said in promotion material.
The cast carries this film, along with its intricate plot.
Pedro Pascal (Mr Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (The Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Thing) deliver performances that are fitting to the characters they portray.
Their chemistry is real, their family dynamic is great, and they sell the feelings of heroism and peril when both are deserved.
However, the story and the world they live in feel slightly off.
We are told how great they are, and the background characters clearly love these celebrity heroes, but because it’s an entirely new universe separate from the main MCU, it’s a bit distracting to be told and not shown how fantastic they are. This contrasts with Superman, released just two weeks earlier. That film spends time demonstrating why people love him. Whether it be him rescuing squirrels or stopping wars. Here, we’re just kinda told it. It’s a little hollow.
It makes it a bit tricky to truly latch onto these four heroes as the definitive versions of the characters.
Back to the positives.
The film is the best the MCU has looked in a long, long time. The scale of Glactus and the awesome outer space sequences make this movie worth the price of admission alone. One specific villainous character is also brilliant, even if they are sparingly used.
The action is superb, and the music from Michael Giacchino (also known for The Incredibles, Up, Coco and The Batman) delivers arguably his best work.
But the film is far from flawless. Some plot holes could be solved by the Fantastic Four being PR-trained, and they were noticeable even on first viewing. The film does rely on ‘Mr Fantastic being the smartest man in the world’ to dig itself out of corners.
These issues feel completely avoidable and are seldom addressed throughout.
When all is said and done, the film is a solid time at the movies.
It’s one of Marvel’s better films in recent years, and those looking for a more comic-accurate Fantastic Four will have a great time, just don’t expect the Avengers: Doomsday prologue that some predicted this to be.
Fantastic Four: First Steps is showing in cinemas across the country.
